Rail-joint.



J'. W. COOK.

RAIL JOINT. Al rmonlon IILED Aucmz, 1914 1,132,446. Patented Mar. 6 915.

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Q amouwioz S CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D C,

J. W. COOK.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION I'ILBD AUG.22, 1914 j 1,132,446. Patented Mar. 16,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN W. COOK, 0F MEYERSDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed August 22, 1914.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. Coox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meyersdale, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in means for connecting the meeting ends of two railway rails.

In carrying out my invention I propose to cut the ends of the rails to provide the same with a beveled face which extends obliquely to the plane of the rail, forming the said rails with pockets arranged at different inclinations, and to also provide the said faces with inclined fingers which are adapted to be received within the pockets and so form a joint for the rail ends without the employment of securing nuts, fish plates, or analogous devices.

I also aim to provide a joint for railway rails wherein the employment of the ordinary removable securing elements is disposed with, and to render the rails at the joint of a strength equaling, if not greater, than that at any other portion of the said rails.

It is a still further object of the invention to construct a joint for railway rails which may be easily assembled without the employment of tools which shall be simple and which shall be comparatively cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the device will appear as the nature of the improvement is more fully understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a rail joint constructed in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view on the line %4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends, Fig. 6 is a similar View of the co-acting rail, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the combined tie plate and clamp.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numerals 1 and 2 indicate the adjoining rails whose meeting ends 3 and 4: are cutaway for overlapping connection, the inner or meeting faces of the ends 3 and 4- being beveled to form a scarf joint. As shown the web of the rails is enlarged, as indicated by the numeral 5, to increase the thickness of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Serial No. 858,084.

the ends 3 and 4: between the flange and head of each of the rails. The beveled face of the end 3 near-the shoulder 5 of the rail 1 is provided, adjacent the upper edge of the said face 3 with a pocket 6, the walls of which extend downwardly at an angle, and the side walls may and preferably do converge toward the end wall of the pocket. The beveled face of the end 3 adjacent its outer and lower corner is provided with an upwardly projecting lug 7 the opposite or side walls of the same converging toward the top of the said lug, forming a substantially hook-shaped member.

The beveled face of the end 4, at its inner lower corner adjacent the enlarged or thickened portion 5 is provided with a pocket 8, the walls of which extend upwardly and preferably converge toward each other, the said pocket receiving the hook-shaped lug 7 when the rails are connected. The said beveled face of the end 4: at its upper and outer corner is provided with a downwardly extending lug 9, the same conforming in shape with the walls of the pocket 6 within which it is received when the rail ends are connected.

By the particular and peculiar arrangement of the lugs 7 and 9 and the peculiar formation of the pockets 6 and 8 it will be v noted that when the rail 2 has the beveled face of its end arranged over the beveled face of the end 3, a downward sliding movement of the said rail 2 will direct the hooks 7 and 9 into the pockets 6 and 8. It-will be noted that the hooked shaped lugs will effectively prevent a lateral movement of the rails of the joint as well as a downward movement of the said rails, but the hooks are of a less width than the pockets to provide for the expansion and contraction of the rails. The hook and pocket provided upon each of the rail ends, being disposed adjacent the ends of the beveled faces are necessarily arranged a considerable distance away from each other, and the pockets being formed at the thickened or enlarged portions of the said rails, the strength of the rails is not impaired by the openings which provide the said pockets.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the upper portion of the enlarged end of the rails is disposed flush with the enlarged web portion thereof, and consequently the end of each of the rails is inclined from its head to its base, and further the width of the upper faces of the base gradually decreases, from its connection with the web proper, to the ends of the rails.

The numerals 10 indicate the ordinary ties for supporting the rails, and the numerals 12 designate tie plates, arranged upon the ties and receiving the base flanges of the rails. Each of the plates 12 is of a Width greater than that of the base of the rails, and each of the said plates is formed with an upwardly extending inwardly projecting lip 13 that is adapted to engage with both the longitudinal edge and the upper portion of the base flange of one of the rails. In practice, the plates 12 are reversely arranged, that is one of'the plates has its lip 18 engaging with the outer base flange of one of the rails, while the adjacent member 12 has its lip 18 engaging with the inner base flange of the second rail, it being understood that the plates 12 need only be arranged upon the ties at the joint of the rail. The plates 12, opposite the lips 13 are formed with upwardly extending shoulders 14, each of the said shoulders, at a suitable distance above the plate proper being provided with a longitudinally extending, substantially rectangular opening 15, through which passes a wedge member 16. The shoulder 14 is spaced from the lip 13 a distance to permit of the said shoulder engaging the longitudinal edge of the base flange of the rail, and by forcing the wedge key 16 through its pocket or opening 15 and into engagement with the beveled upper face of the rails, at the ends thereof, it will be noted that the joint will be effectively retained against lateral displacement as well as vertical movement. Spikes, preferably three in number, pass through suitable openings in the portion of the plate 12 to the rear of the lip 13, while spikes are inserted through suitable openings provided in the enlarged or shoulder portion of the plate, the said openings being arranged to the opposite sides of the passage or pocket 15, while still another spike passes through each of the wedge members 16, the last mentioned spikes may, also, if desired, contact with the outer edge of each of the plates 12.

From the above description, taken in con- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for nection with the accompanying drawing, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof willy-it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a rail joint, the combination with rails provided with overlapping ends cut obliquely to-the plane of the rails to form a scarf joint, one of the said oblique faces adjacent its outer and lower corner being provided with an upturned hooked lug, the said face at its inner and upper corner being provided with a pocket, the side walls of which extending downwardly and outwardly and converging toward each other, the oblique face of the second rail end having a hooked lug arranged adjacent its upper and outer corner, the said second rail having its oblique face further provided adjacent its inner and lower corner with a pocket, the walls of which converging upwardly, and the hook of one of the rails adapted to be received within the pocket of the second rail.

2. The combination with two rails and ties upon which the rails rest, each of said rails having a thickened web upon one of its sides and being cut obliquely from the said thickened portion of the web to the other side, to form a scarf joint, the oblique faces of the rails having hooked lugs and pockets to receive the lugs, a tie plate arranged upon each of the ties below the rails, each of said plates having a rail engaging lip and a thickened portion opposite the lip and providing a rail engaging shoulder, the said thickened portion having a longitudinal opening, a wedge key passing through the opening and overlying the base of the ail, and securing means passing through the plate and key for retaining the same in rail engaging position upon the tie.

in testimony whereof I, afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. 600K.

W'itnesses:

E. EDMoNs'roN, Jr, WM. F. ZOERTH.

five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

